THE IONIA COUNTY PEACE COMMUNITY/LA COMUNIDAD de PAZ DEL CONDADO de IONIA welcomes volunteers of all ages who are interested in events and activities that promote a Beloved Community (www.thekingcenter.org/king-philosophy) where we recognize our
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THE IONIA COUNTY PEACE COMMUNITY/LA COMUNIDAD de PAZ DEL CONDADO de IONIA welcomes volunteers of all ages who are interested in events and activities that promote a Beloved Community (www.thekingcenter.org/king-philosophy) where we recognize our interdependence and use our diversity and different gifts to enrich the whole.

For more information or to become a member, email ioniacountypeace@gmail.com, call 616-527-7163 or like us on Facebook. Visit our website at ioniacountypeacecommunity.org.

Ok, let me first say, this is not written with the intent to bring pity on me, my family, or other families in my circle of friends! As a matter of fact, I have purposely held this type of info back as to keep my children from receiving special treatment (good and bad) in school and elsewhere. Now with only 1 student in the Public School System, and her support to publicly "Stand Up for your Beliefs!" I will share our family story.

Many do not know that I moved out on my own at the very intelligent age of 16 years old! No job, no school, no money! (Hindsight...not the smartest move I ever made! Sheer teenage rebellion in knowing I was smarter then my parents! Yah right!) Thanks to someone looking over my shoulder, I did not become a teenage parent in those first few years! Scott and I started having kids when I was 19...again not necessarily by choice, but more we had pushed out luck far enough. Still no job, no schooling and now with Kids...as the children continued to come over the next 10 years, we decided it would be better for our kids to go without some things in order to have a stay at home mom. Keep in mind, Scott worked various jobs sometimes 60 hours a week during this time, but our income levels always have had us hovering around the poverty line.

Shortly after child number 3, I returned to school to get the High School Diploma that is so needed these days. But I didn't return to the workforce until after our 5th child was born. At that point, I did not have a choice, my husband was disabled due to a 9 month long migraine! Friends and family helped as best they could, but with no medical answers jumping our way and no idea how long our main bread winner would be out of work, our family struggled for quite some time relying on assistance. I started out with a minimum wage job, working crappy hours, with a boss that didn't appreciate me...much like so many others. Yet I worked my way up...to where I am now, a respected Community Member, Volunteer and Leader of many Community Programs meant to make people stronger.

To date: my family still lives BELOW the poverty line...not quite low enough for some assistance, way under the limit for other means of assistance. With 3 Kids at home and special dietary concerns with Gluten Free issues among others, my family still has to make choices about which bills to pay this month and limiting the amount of food that can bought at the grocery store. Many who know me, know that my current job is grant based and is expiring in November. I have spent much of the last year trying to find another job! Jobs are scarce in our community, jobs with a FUTURE are even harder to find. I did find another job to move to in November, again it will involve working with volunteers and HUNGER ISSUES. But yet again, it will pay next to nothing, keeping my family on the poverty line and with an expiration date in a year. So by this time next year, I too will be job hunting yet again. Gone are the days when those who wanted to WORK, could find a place to hire them that would pay a fair wage for enough hours and benefits available.

Myth 1: Low Income People eat nothing but junk food!

The $20 we chose to spend at the apple orchard to get fresh, locally grown food will mean one more meal of the cheaper, less nutritious foods we must eat for dinner. Mac & Cheese, Hot Dogs, Ham & Egg Sandwiches are some of the staples that we eat...not due to choice because we like them, but due to price, because they are cheap! My kids actually prefer meat, potatoes, and veggies...but those are EXPENSIVE!

Myth 2: Low Income People eat fast food too often!

My family eats fast food on the occasions where either I have worked (or volunteered) for a 10+ hour shift with little to no break, little to no food, and little compensation. You will see at many events where volunteers are used, a standard food often provided is PIZZA. This is fairly cheap, easy to make arrangements ahead of time for the event planner, and often can be donated. Most of my family can not eat this type of pizza without getting sick due to dietary issues. (FYI- if you see us eating pizza at an event, it is because we are STARVING and don't have another option! This is why you will rarely see pizza at any volunteer event I am in charge of unless the target audience is teens and they request it!)

Reason number 2 my family eats fast food...often someone else is buying! Friends and family care and want to help...but don't know how. Or I do a favor for someone else and this is how they choose to repay us. Or, I am thanking someone else for doing me a favor and I happen to be buying them a meal because I know they will be going home to bare cupboards.

Myth 3: People would rather buy alcohol, cigarettes, and lotto tickets instead of providing food for their family!

OK, this might be true for some people! This is what PEOPLE see happening and decide not to support SNAP benefits or donate to a Food Drive or support their local Food Pantry. But I'm here to tell you that is the exception to the rule that gives hard working, but low income families a bad name. Working as closely with non-profits and low income people as much as I have over the last 5 years, I have seen first hand this exception to the rule. The problem is, when you punish people for STUPIDITY (choosing bad substances over food) you are really punishing their children! FACT: SNAP benefits can not be used to purchase alcohol or tobacco products! (Some people also receive CASH benefits on their BRIDGE Card, giving the appearance that they are using Food Benefits for such purchases. It may be morally wrong to make such purchases with money designed to pay rent, bills, and put gas in your car to drive to work but receiving these benefits are really hard to do as they are reserved for people who are the lowest of income, often due to extreme circumstances and these benefits do not last long! I think there is currently a 2 year term limit to these benefits. But to quote a friend...I digress!)There are always going to be people who abuse the system...no matter what system you are talking about!

Myth 4: If they can afford a cell phone, they can afford food!

OK, this commonly heard phrase grinds me the wrong way on so many levels...

1. Cell phones are actually cheaper then land line phones in most cases these days.

2. There are 2-3 companies out there that provide low income families with FREE cell phones and FREE minutes because there is NO HOPE of a person getting or keeping a job if they can't call their employer or be called in for a job interview.

3. Low income families often are charged more for services such as cell phones because they do not have the credit required to purchase a contract. Prepaid phones cost MORE! Cashing a check at Meijer/Walmart because you do not have a bank account...costs more! Purchasing a car to get to work, costs more because you have have cash (no credit for loans) which means you buy a low quality car, which needs more maintenance and is more likely to have issues plus insurance companies charge low income families higher rates due to lack of proper insurance, lack of credit, frequent changing of policies due to cars added/dropped, etc. . And don't even get me started on medical expenses...as I would have all kinds of people on back due to political issues!

The fact is ...it costs more to try to move up in this world if you are a low income family.

On a more personal note...my first cell phone allowed me to leave the house...PERIOD! With my husbands disability 10+ years ago, when I first started working outside the house, he NEEDED to be able to contact me 24/7 for medical reasons. Without a cell phone (which was used just for emergencies) I would not have been able to leave him home alone, or with our children. As my hectic schedule increased and our children became teens (and as our budget increased) we added phones as we could. Sending kids away to college with a phone to call home any time they wanted was a luxury we choose to add to our family budget instead of TV, family vacations, or other normal family expenses. (Never did it become a choice of having FOOD on the table or paying my cell phone bill! Because over the years, our cell phones have been suspended for a week or a month here and there due to an unexpected expense that was more important! FOOD IS MORE IMPORTANT!) My belief: Don't judge a person for their choices until you have been forced to make those same choices. If you don't want to donate your hard earned cash to a food drive or support a food pantry...THEN DON'T! But don't use that as a way to make yourself sound important and spout off your beliefs. When you do that, you just make the struggling families around you feel bad for not trying hard enough. FACT: Roughly 30-35% of families qualify for assistance that they WOULD NEVER apply for! Example: FREE Lunch at school...this is a high percentage of unused support! Many qualify for this service but will never apply because either they don't want their children picked on in school for being low-income, or they are not sure how to complete the paperwork required in receiving this benefit or they are just to PROUD to admit they need help.

Again this is not for pity, but my Net Income for 2012 was $17,500. This is well below the poverty line for a family of 5. I don't often give of my hard earned cash to non-profit organizations. Not because I don't support their causes, but because it simply is not in my budget! Instead I give my TIME and so do my kids. My current job pays me to work about 26 hours per week. Anyone who knows me and has ever volunteered with me, knows I put it more like 50+ hours a week. WHY ...because I can! My volunteering has allowed others to volunteer, my support makes agencies stronger allowing them to move forward instead of backwards, my volunteering has brought my family together through lessons learned. I have 2 wonderful daughters that have nearly put themselves through college, one graduated with a teaching degree and has married and made a commitment to be a missionary (I couldn't be more pleased, but she is bound to live a live below the poverty line with her family.) and one who will be graduating next spring with a 4 year degree and going on to med school (again I couldn't be more pleased and while one day she will be making great money, she first has to survive these years of living below the poverty line pushing through school.) all on their own because there is no way our family income could support college! I also have 3 children still at home, who go with me to community events, volunteer, and help their neighbor...not because they get paid to do so, but because it is just what WE DO and how WE SURVIVE on our limited budget and living below the poverty line!

HUNGER in America is REAL! Hunger in Ionia and Montcalm Counties is REAL! Your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers could be struggling with HUNGER on a day to day basis and you may never know. Because we all work to SURVIVE on whatever budget we can find. Don't pity us, or feel bad for us, or take food from YOUR Table to FEED US! DO support the programs that are out there to give US a HAND! Donate your left over garden seeds to a neighborhood community garden. Sign the NO KID HUNGRY Pledge. Grow 1 extra plant in your garden that you can use to give fresh produce to a family in your neighborhood that might be struggling to make ends meet. Don't feel sad and depressed that YOU can't HELP...because YOU CAN HELP! Whether you donate, volunteer, or lend your voice to show support...YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY! And if you don't know how...just ask! The Community Food Network is always happy to answer your questions and so are most Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens. There are also great resources online from Feeding America, NoKidHungry.org, and several other groups working to END HUNGER. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem!

PENNY BEEMAN, a member of the Ionia County Peace Community, works with volunteers in many United Way-supported projects. As coordinator for the Ionia Kids Club, Penny reaches out to teens, giving them a chance to Do Something GREAT in their Community! Her favorite MLK quote and the Kids Club motto: "EVERYBODY can be GREAT! Because EVERYBODY can VOLUNTEER!"www.ioniakidsclub.org